Spirit work is such a fulfilling practice. And yet, as rewarding as it is, it can also be incredibly harmful. We are used to seeing warning posts about entities that do jarringly obvious terrible things. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking this is the only sort of danger that might come from spirit work as a practice. However, emotional/ psychological abuse is also (unfortunately) common and can be deeply damaging.
This is a list of some red-flags to look out for when working with an entity.
1. They tell you power/ success can only be achieved through following them. They reject/ mock/ belittle all other spiritual paths and proclaim their way to be The One True Way.
2. They isolate you and block you from communicating with other entities and/ or people. They might say that “your path is a lonely one”. “You only need them.” “Your relationship must remain a secret.” “They are only doing it for your own good.”
3. They discourage you from looking after your mental health, physical health, emotional, and social well-being. They might say that “if you use medications your powers will wane.” Or that “having a social life will distract you from your spiritual path.”
4. They do things without your consent, over and over again, regardless of the impact it has on your health and emotional well-being. Discussions on boundaries are ignored.
5. They nurture feelings of codependency and paranoia. They will tell you “you only need them” while also belittling all outside sources. They might discourage critical thinking, safe discernment practices, and healthy interactions with other members of the spiritual community.
6. They get angry if you question them. They punish you for attempting to better understand yourself or your own spiritual practice.
7. They claim that your spirituality and intrinsic fulfillment both hinge on working with them.
8. They claim only they can give you what you truly want, or they offer things that sound “too good to be true”.
9. Interacting with them consistently makes you feel sick, tired, emotionally and physically drained, afraid, etc.
10. You notice yourself losing grip of your “real life” as they continue to push you to delve deeper into the occult.
11. They encourage unsafe spirit work practices
12. They want you to enter into a contract or to devote yourself without discussion. They also want you to do this very quickly.
13. They place unreasonable boundaries and expectations on your relationship.
14. They gaslight you and/ or do not hold their end of a bargain/ contract.
15. They threaten your safety and well-being or the safety and well-being of your loved ones.
To finish this post, I would like to remind everyone that spirituality should not make you feel broken and miserable. It might be challenging at times, yes, but if it does not bring you happiness and fulfilment at the end of the day, then please take some time to think about your own spirituality. Additionally, if you have been or are currently in a spiritual relationship that checks off many of these red flags…. it is not your fault.
So, I asked if there was anything not often covered in witchy information posts and @hopeforenvy suggested Spirit Work. Spirit Work fascinates me and I’m interested in learning more, but I don’t think I know enough about it to write my own post just yet, so I’m going to make a masterpost and include informational posts, spells, and sigils about and having to do with Spirit work. I found all of these by going through @sylvaetria ‘s Spirit Work tag, but I’m linking to the original post when I can in case this actually gets attention so that sylvaetria doesn’t get spammed with notifications.
There are a great many people who believe that non-human creatures have souls or spirits. For some of us, this applies to our plant friends, as well. In my own belief system, it only makes sense that they would. I believe that each living creature creates energy by living (the energy we often identify as an aura is the visual imprint of this).
Of course, there is plentiful folklore about plant spirits throughout various cultures. Western beliefs, like those related to the fae such as the Spriggan, often promote ideas about plant spirits. The Greeks believed in Dryads, which are the spirits of oak trees. Examples abound throughout mythology and folklore.
In the modern day, people who refer to themselves as nature worshippers are good examples of a large group of people who usually believe in plant spirits. Many green witches, spirit workers, energy workers, or more general pagans believe in and work with the spirits of plants.
This can simply mean that when they’re out and about, they stop to “chat” with a plant by getting a sense of their energy. It can also mean that they grow plants themselves or care for those in their local area. By identifying and finding a way to communicate with these spirits, some folks find that they’re in the ideal position to help them.
Though being able to identify (or even believing in) the spirit of a plant is not required to be a green witch, it appears to be pretty common. I’ve seen countless green witches who refer to the plants they work with as though they were dear friends or children in their care. Usually, the person gives the plants they work with names, at least in my experience, because plants don’t tend to tell us one.
If you’re interested in learning to get a sense of plant spirits, I usually suggest that you either (or both!) try to grow a plant yourself or spend time in a specific area where foliage abounds. If you decide to grow a plant, I recommend a potted mint plant. Mint tends to be “loud” and “chattery” which makes it easy to get a sense of. I do want to emphasize that you should grow it in a pot, though, because it will become invasive if you’re not careful!
Best of luck!
KIT WHC Moderator, Death Witch, Edgelords’ Worst Nightmare @occultduality
So I talk a bit about my spirit companions all too often and to be honest, it’s still a very new experience to me and I’m still learning a lot about it. I’m also learning how to travel astraly (which I’m getting a little better but still need a lot of practice). And I’m sure some of you have been wanting to get into it and don’t know how. But I’m about to share with you the best thing I’ve learned about trying to communicate with spirits:
Learn to communicate with plants first.
And here’s why I say this:
Imagine a hedge that separates you the physical plane from the astral plane. And to be able to get to the astral plane and talk to the spirits and astral beings on the other side, you have to get on the other side of that hedge. How do you do that? You can’t cut down the hedge; and you can’t walk right through it. You could probably find a way to go over it but that takes a lot of work. So what’s the easiest way to get there?
By befriending the hedge. And how do you befriend the hedge? By becoming a friend to all plant life.
Plants have a presence in both the physical and astral realm. You see a tree here, you’ll see a dryad in the astral realm. You see flowers, you’ll see their spirits. All plant life, big and small, make up the hedge. They border on the physical and spirit worlds and are the gatekeepers. They let those who pass who they feel are worthy. If you befriend them, they’ll open a path and help you. They’ll guide you and teach you how to work in both existences.
And to be honest, they have a lot to say if you just listen to them. The tall trees have been around a long time; they have stories to tell. The flowers love when you notice their beauty. The grass will teach you things from their perspective. Just get in touch with nature!
Befriend the animals too. They coexist with them and they coexist with you (when we’re not hurting them with our destructive human nature). The plants look after them, and if they see that you care for all forms of life, they’ll start to see you as a friend.
If you can learn how to talk and listen to the plants, then you’ll learn how to talk and listen to spirits. After all, in order to befriend the dead, you have to befriend life; no matter what shape or form it comes in. Even if you’re not a green witch, this will really come in handy.
Please note – though I myself am not a spirit worker, I’ve done enough research and seen enough of other people’s personal stories to say this: spirit work is not always light and fluffy and happy (obviously it can be, but not all the time). Spirits are not all willing to work with you peacefully – some are even downright rude or aggressive. It can be dangerous, and there are risks of getting involved with other entities not of this world. Make sure you know what you are getting into completely and are well prepared before engaging. Read and practice at your own discretion.
I am a very depressed witch. As such, I tend to catch more…. malevolent spirits when I try to communicate with them, or even walk in a place they’re in. This is because some spirits feed off of feelings like anger, sadness, and fear.
However, I am also a death witch and spirit worker. I try to find pleasant spirits and such, but sometimes I act as a magnet for the not-so-nice ones. (And I’m not saying scary. Because scary does not always = bad. Serious misconception there).
Now, depression attracting ill-wishing spirits may not be true for everyone. For some, it could be the opposite, or have little to no affect on the paranormal crowd you acquire. But for the sake of this post, I’m using my own experience.
To combat the amount of spirits I come into contact with that wish me harm, I have created a ward of sorts. It acts as an auric/energetic cleanser, so as to remove and conceal the negative feelings I have. Now, this isn’t designed to get rid of how you feel, it’s more to make you seem positive on the outside. It’s like a decoy around you, acting as a second, more outward aura. I’ve found that it does help me feel more positive, but didn’t necessarily make the feelings go away.
To create it, You’ll need a Necklace, (necklaces or bracelets are what I use, because they lie near/on pulse points), a chant of your making (or the one below), and a window.
Chant:
When worn this piece will protect Me from all that is malevolent
Cleanse and disperse the negative here Cover it up everyday of the year.
Keep the spirits wishing me ill Away from me, this is my will.
With sun and moon I charge this ploy, To act and serve as my decoy.
Say, sing, or think this chant, and add your own personal energy with the intent.
I recommend re-doing this once a month on the full moon, and charging it everyday. To charge it, place it in direct sunlight (unless it will fade, then cover it and put it in the sun). I would always have two pieces of jewelry so you can wear one while the other charges.
may the bridges I burn light the way 